The Florida Senate

259.0345  Florida Forever Advisory Council.--

(1)(a)  There is hereby created the Florida Forever Advisory Council, consisting of seven residents of this state who shall be appointed by the Governor. The appointments shall include one member from within the geographic boundaries of each water management district who has resided in the district for at least 1 year. The remaining appointments shall come from the state at large. The membership of the council shall be representative of agriculture, the development community, local government, the environmental community, and the scientific and technical community who have substantial experience in areas of land, water, and wildlife management and other related areas.

(b)  The members appointed by the Governor shall serve 3-year terms, except that, initially, to provide for staggered terms, three of the appointees shall serve 2-year terms. No appointee shall serve more than 6 years. The Governor may at any time fill a vacancy for the unexpired term of a member appointed under paragraph (a).

(c)  No person who is or has been a lobbyist as defined in s. 112.3148, at any time during the 24 months preceding appointment to the council, for any entity whose interests could be affected by actions or decisions of the council, shall be appointed to the council.

(d)  The council shall, at a minimum, meet twice a year.

(2)  The Governor shall appoint the chair of the council, and a vice chair shall be elected from among the voting members.

(3)  Each member of the council shall receive $75 per day while engaged in the business of the council, as well as expenses and per diem for travel, including attendance at meetings, as provided in s. 112.061

(4)  The department shall provide primary staff support to the council and shall ensure that council meetings are electronically recorded. Such recordings shall be preserved pursuant to chapters 119 and 257. The department may adopt any rule or form necessary to implement this section.

(5)  The department shall execute a contract with the Florida Natural Areas Inventory for the scientific assistance necessary to fulfill the requirements of this section.

(6)  The department may request the assistance of other state agencies, water management districts, or universities to provide information or expertise to the council.

(7)  The council shall provide a report, at least 30 days prior to the regular legislative sessions in the following years: 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. The report shall be provided to the Secretary of Environmental Protection, who shall forward the report to the board of trustees for their approval. After approval by the board of trustees, the secretary shall forward the approved report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report shall provide: recommendations for adjusting or expanding the goals detailed in s. 259.105(4); recommendations for adjusting the percentage distributions detailed in s. 259.105(3); and recommendations concerning other aspects of the Florida Forever Act. In making recommendations for adjusting the percentage distributions detailed in s. 259.105(3), the council shall consider which agencies have encumbered their funds in a timely manner and unencumbered balances, if any, in each agency's Florida Forever subaccount. The recommendations may include increases in percentage distributions to those agencies that have encumbered Florida Forever funds in a timely manner.

(8)  The reports required pursuant to subsection (7) are to be based upon and developed through:

(a)  Comments received during public hearings, in different areas of the state, held for the purpose of gathering public input and recommendations.

(b)  Evaluations of Florida's existing public land acquisition programs for conservation, preservation, and recreational purposes, including those administered by the water management districts and the Department of Community Affairs, to determine the extent of Florida's unmet needs for restoration, acquisition, and management of public lands and water areas and for acquisition of privately owned lands and water areas.

(c)  Material and data developed by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory concerning Florida's conservation lands.

History.--s. 14, ch. 99-247; s. 8, ch. 2000-170; s. 7, ch. 2001-275.